Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Overflow Pipe constantly dripping

  • 12-03-2012 4:06pm
    #1
    Broche07
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 54 ✭✭


    In my attic I have 2 water tanks, a large one with cold water and a much smaller one with ocassionally hot water. There is an overflow pipe leading from this small tank to just below the guttering on the outside. Over the course of the winter while it seemed that the heat was on it seemed that there was a constant drip of water from this overflow pipe. I thought it might be that the float needed adjusting but that didn't seem to be the case because it seemed that water just continued to flow into this small tank. It seems that it is something to do with the heat being on, perhaps once it's been on for a certain amount of time it generates this condition but I don't know why for sure. Any ideas? thx


Comments

  • #2
    TPM
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 871 ✭✭✭TPM


    Water expands when heated, the tank in the attic is to allow for this expansion.
    The water level in the tank will rise when the water heats and drops again when the water cools, but it shouldnt be overflowing.Possible causes of the tank overflowing are,
    the water level in the tank when cold is too high in relation to the overflow
    the tank is too small
    the ball valve is not shutting off fully.


  • #3
    anheneti
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 183 ✭✭anheneti


    Broche07 wrote: »
    In my attic I have 2 water tanks, a large one with cold water and a much smaller one with ocassionally hot water. There is an overflow pipe leading from this small tank to just below the guttering on the outside. Over the course of the winter while it seemed that the heat was on it seemed that there was a constant drip of water from this overflow pipe. I thought it might be that the float needed adjusting but that didn't seem to be the case because it seemed that water just continued to flow into this small tank. It seems that it is something to do with the heat being on, perhaps once it's been on for a certain amount of time it generates this condition but I don't know why for sure. Any ideas? thx

    It sounds like the coil in the cylinder is leaking and allowing water to pass from the tank that has a higher level of water to the tank which has a lower level. If that is the case a new copper cylinder is needed


  • #4
    lofty999
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2 ✭lofty999


    Broche07 wrote: »
    In my attic I have 2 water tanks, a large one with cold water and a much smaller one with ocassionally hot water. There is an overflow pipe leading from this small tank to just below the guttering on the outside. Over the course of the winter while it seemed that the heat was on it seemed that there was a constant drip of water from this overflow pipe. I thought it might be that the float needed adjusting but that didn't seem to be the case because it seemed that water just continued to flow into this small tank. It seems that it is something to do with the heat being on, perhaps once it's been on for a certain amount of time it generates this condition but I don't know why for sure. Any ideas? thx
    try bleeding the radiators


  • #5
    hsan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166 ✭✭hsan


    sorry for butting in on your thread.i came across a similar problem today.the difference was that everythin was fine when the heating system was on fully ie. upstairs and downstairs and hot water. when i asked the owner of the house to turn off the rads and just leave the heating heat the hot water,i looked into the expansion tank and could see water coming back through the cold feed and the tank began to fill and started to overflow.the cold feed and expansion are combined and the pump on the boiler was at speed 1.im a plumber myself but cant seem to find the answer to it!?also the small tank is higher than the big tank so it cant be the coil


  • #6
    anheneti
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 183 ✭✭anheneti


    hsan wrote: »
    sorry for butting in on your thread.i came across a similar problem today.the difference was that everythin was fine when the heating system was on fully ie. upstairs and downstairs and hot water. when i asked the owner of the house to turn off the rads and just leave the heating heat the hot water,i looked into the expansion tank and could see water coming back through the cold feed and the tank began to fill and started to overflow.the cold feed and expansion are combined and the pump on the boiler was at speed 1.im a plumber myself but cant seem to find the answer to it!?also the small tank is higher than the big tank so it cant be the coil

    Did it continue to overflow or did it stop?


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    hsan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166 ✭✭hsan


    it overflowed when i had the oil boiler heating the hot water only.when i saw it overflow i opened up the lever valves to let the heat go to the rads and the the water in the small tank stopped overflowing and went down bellow the 350


  • #8
    anheneti
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 183 ✭✭anheneti


    hsan wrote: »
    it overflowed when i had the oil boiler heating the hot water only.when i saw it overflow i opened up the lever valves to let the heat go to the rads and the the water in the small tank stopped overflowing and went down bellow the 350

    sorry what i meant was, does it continue to overflow if you leave the valves closed or does it stop?


  • #9
    hsan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166 ✭✭hsan


    ya it overflows all the time when the valves are closed <heating hot water only> but it stos overflowing when i open the valves again <heating hot water and rads >


  • #10
    anheneti
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 183 ✭✭anheneti


    hsan wrote: »
    ya it overflows all the time when the valves are closed <heating hot water only> but it stos overflowing when i open the valves again <heating hot water and rads >

    there has to be water getting in somewhere so if continues to overflow, i wouldn't rule out the coil. can you pressure test it?


  • #11
    hsan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 166 ✭✭hsan


    i thought it might be the coil but the small tank is higher than the big tank so that kinda rules that out


  • Advertisement
  • #12
    yayamark
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,013 ✭✭✭yayamark


    This was happening mine for about month a plumber called went into attic and changed a seal on one pipes leading in/out of the tanks, all sorted. took 30 seconds.


  • #13
    .243
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,271 ✭✭✭.243


    anheneti wrote: »
    there has to be water getting in somewhere so if continues to overflow, i wouldn't rule out the coil. can you pressure test it?
    to rule out the coil in the cylinder,shut off the water going through the ball cock and take some water out of the expansion tank(not all of it),
    take a measurement of the water in the tank and start the heating,if the coil in the tank is punctured as said above it will fill up the expansion tank gradually.
    this works best if you can get someone to start the heating while you are at the expansion tank as you can see water flow back into the tank by the outlet


Advertisement